


Baker's Four

by insertfandomjoke



Category: Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders Fandom, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: AU, Angst, Fluff, Homophobia, Human AU, Humour, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Multi, Transphobia, also all those awful tags are for only one chapter, baking au, sorry for the variety of character and relationship tags but this fandom is a mess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2017-08-21
Packaged: 2018-12-18 03:35:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11865828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insertfandomjoke/pseuds/insertfandomjoke
Summary: Patton, Roman and Logan run a bakery together. Along the way, they hire Ann, a bundle of mysteries. What could go wrong?





	1. Ann

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ann, or Anxiety, as he's given the name of later, spots a 'HELP WANTED' sign in a bakery.

Ann tugged at the ends of his hoodie sleeves as he shifted from foot to foot outside of the bakery. He was eyeing the ‘HELP WANTED’ sign, like he had been ever since it got put up. The poster said to just go up to the counter during open times, but Ann, in his desire to look like a trustworthy future employee, had turned up before the damn shop even opened.

“Excuse me, are you okay?” somebody asked, making him jump and whirl around.

There was a guy in a blue shirt with a grey cardigan wrapped around his shoulders standing in front of Anxiety, looking like he wanted to go inside.

Ann’s face burned. “Uh, I’m fine, sorry, I should just get out of your way.” He stepped aside and ducked his head down, ready to powerwalk down the street and go home so he could die of embarrassment, but a hand shot out and grabbed his shoulder.

“Sorry for just randomly touching you like that,” the stranger apologised upon seeing the gloomy boy startle, “but you looked like you were interested in the job offer.” He smiled kindly, sounding like actually cared about the ongoings of Ann, a total random.

“Kind of…” Ann trailed off, worrying his lip in between his teeth. He wasn’t good with strangers, especially not those who wanted to strike up a conversation with him. Maybe he wasn’t cut out for this job after all, considering he most likely would have to deal with customers and all that.

“Oh, goodie! I’m Patton,” the stranger, _Patton,_ introduced himself, sticking out an expectant hand. Before Ann could even take it, he was already talking again. “I’m a baker here! I met the owner through a mutual friend and together we three founded Baker’s Dozen, but, as you probably know, we don’t nearly have that many bakers. We’ve been looking for help a while now, and I’m sure you’ll fit right in. Although, Prince can be somewhat of a hard-butt!”

“Hard-butt?” Ann asked incredulously. “Wait, the person who runs this is called _Prince?!_ What kind of fucking name is that?”

Patton chuckled. “I’m not one for swearing.” Ann opened his say sorry, but Patton only held up his hand to silence him and continued. “It’s okay, the others swear like sailors. And no, his name isn’t _actually_ Prince. I just like to give people nicknames! His name is Roman. You’ll find out why I gave him that nickname later. I also call Logan, the other worker, Logic. He’s very good at managing our sales and always thinks things through very, well, _logically_.”

Ann tried not to let his excitement show. These people sounded cool, like the kind of people who would welcome him into their little family. “So, if I wanted to apply, how likely do you think I’d be to get the job? It’s just, I really need it, and I’ve baked quite a lot but I’m not very good and I’m assuming that you’d rather someone who was actually confident in their own abilities.” He rambled, a tad unsure, his brain telling him to shut up before he lost any small chance he had completely.

Patton only laughed again. “Woah, slow down there, slugger! As long as you can bake, we’d be happy to give you the job and show you a few things. Besides, no one was born with the ability to cook! It’s a learning process. I know for sure that when I started out, I almost burned down my kitchen every time I set foot in there.”

The younger boy cracked a smile, before hiding it, fiddling with his hoodie strings. “Uh, how do I apply then?”

All of a sudden, Patton seemed to have remembered something. He started patting his pockets and pulled a face as he dug inside them until he finally produced a key. “Hold on, kiddo.” Patton stuck it in the lock and jiggled it for a while. “There we go!” He pushed the door open and Ann trailed nervously behind him.

The usually familiar bakery looked weird with all its lights off, chairs up and just its general emptiness. It gave him the chills.

Patton kept leading him through to the small kitchen at the back, flicking on the lights as he went. Ann blinked at the sudden change but decided he liked the cosy warmth much better.

“I know this isn’t exactly protocol, but considering Roman will probably be behind the counter all day, unable to bother us, and Logan is taking some time off, why don’t you show me what you can do? The others will probably be sceptical of you at first, so if you show them how good you are and how much easier things are with you around, they’ll _have_ to take you!”

Ann nodded furiously, taking the apron thrusted into his hands. The more Patton talked, the more he wanted, no, _needed,_ this job. He was somewhat scared of the way Roman was made out to be, and even more so of the methodical Logan, but Patton was nice. If he only had one (friend?) decent acquaintance out of the three of them, it would still be a heck of a lot better than what he could ever hope to have in the _other_ jobs available to him.

He watched as Patton shifted through the cookbooks in one of the higher shelves and resisted the urge to jump onto a counter while he waited. Gazing around the room, he saw that a lot of the cupboards were up high. Being 5’4” certainly wasn’t going to help, but that was a problem for later.

“Okay, let’s start off with something simple.” Patton placed an open book in the middle of one of the only clean benches and pointed to a recipe. “Think you can make that?”

Ann looked it over. It was a very basic one, he noted with relief. “Definitely,” he answered, noticeably relaxing. Realising that the way he said it might have been a little too cocky, he quickly tried to fix his mistake. “Uh, not because I think this is too easy, I’ve just made this before, you know?”

“It’s okay, er…” Patton paused. “I just figured out I never got your name.”

Ann’s cheeks burned bright red. “Well, it’s, uh, it’s Ann,” he mumbled. It wasn’t exactly a lie.

“Well, Ann, don’t you worry about a thing! Although I must say, that’s an odd name you got there!”

 _‘Maybe because it’s not actually my name,’_ he thought bitterly. He suppressed his urge to say anything about it. “I suppose so,” he said instead. “Not too weird, is it?”

“You worry a lot,” Patton commented. Suddenly, he clasped his hands together and brightened. “Oh, I know, can I call you Anxiety? It’s perfect for you, _and_ it has your name in it!”

Ann allowed himself to smile this time. “I don’t mind it.” He really didn’t. It was way better than any other name he had ever been given. “Although, if we’re giving out nicknames here, yours should be Morality. If you want, that is.”

“That’s a clever one! I’ll have to tell the others that…” Patton hummed happily. They settled into a comfortable silence then, working side by side as they prepared the goods they needed for the day.


	2. Patton

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day Ann arrives from Patton's perspective. He's curious about this odd boy and his somehow more odd (but just as pleasant) brother.

Patton had to admit, when the first few times he saw Ann, he didn’t think too much of him. He had seen the kid around in the bakery quite a bit, placing small orders and always seeming to hide underneath the same old hoodie. If he was truly honest, he didn’t exactly _trust_ Anxiety then. Stereotypes and all that, you know?

But seeing him turn up on the bakery doorstep that morning, watching Ann look longingly inside and seeming so nervous when talking to him made Patton change his mind quite quickly. With little to no thought, he offered Ann a chance at the job. And he didn’t regret it one bit.

Anxiety worked so hard that first day, trying to do everything _perfectly_ and getting frustrated with himself whenever he screwed up. Morality thought it was endearing but the kid only apologised before getting straight back into the swing of things.

However, no matter how hard he worked, Patton knew bringing up his decision to take Anxiety under his wing wouldn’t settle well with Roman. He was right.

“You did _what?!”_ Prince whisper-shouted, throwing his hands up. They had no customers at the moment, so they were free to talk. Or in this case, argue. Patton had figured that it was best to bring it up now rather than later.

“Look, Roman, I know I should’ve talked to you about it, but Ann is a good kid! He’s been working himself to the limits all day!” Patton defended. He wasn’t going to let him go without a fight.

“ _All day?_ You mean to say that you let him in _this morning?_ We had an agreement! Things like this need to be talked about before you go off and make a stupid decision. Besides, we can’t just let anyone in. He could be secretly poisoning our food, for all we know!”

“Prince, stop being overdramatic.” The feuding two looked up to see Logan walking up to the counter, as calm as ever. “You didn’t hear me come in. Imagine how bad this would look if I were a customer.” He had a point.

Roman huffed, crossing his arms. “So you’re on his side? But he let in some weirdo from the street! Who knows what kind of bad reputation we could get from this?”

“I’m sorry, okay?” Patton cried, rubbing his forehead. He had had enough of this. “But we’re not kicking him out. Look,” he lowered his voice, “Ann needs this job. He told me so. And until he gives me a reason to otherwise, I’m going to trust him. He deserves a chance, _at the very least_.”

Logan nodded. “Patton has a point. Also, perhaps we shouldn’t be talking about this so rudely in front of… what was his name? Ann?” Morality and Prince spun around to see Anxiety standing in the kitchen doorway, expression closed off.

“Anxiety-“ Patton reached out to him, but Ann shrugged him off.

“It’s fine. It’s not the first time I’ve been told I’m not wanted somewhere.” He pushed up the hood of his jumper and brushed past the others. Morality’s hand fell flat.

Long after the bell above the door rang, signifying Ann’s departure, and long after they silently went back to work, Logan filling in Anxiety’s spot despite being on time off, Patton didn’t mention the tears he _swore_ he saw falling. But that didn’t mean that he wasn’t constantly thinking about it.

Later, Morality trudged out of the kitchens to go see what the others were up to. He hadn’t talked to them for the past few hours.

“Roman, if that kid comes back, you damn well better apologise to him,” Logan hissed, undeniably annoyed. “You need to learn how to trust people. We founded this fucking bakery together, so you listen to us. That includes Patton.” Somehow, they thought that their conversation in a tiny workspace wouldn’t reach the person in question’s ears.

“I know I overreacted.” Roman almost sounded sincere. “It’s just, this is _our_ thing, you know? I didn’t even want to hire anyone new in the first place; that was your idea. Maybe it was just some part of me that was hoping this could continue to only be us. After all, this is _our_ dream.” Morality’s sympathy grew, and suddenly he wasn’t as mad. “Not that kid’s, who Patt found on the street, by the way.” _Never mind._

“Don’t speak about Ann like that,” Logan warned. “That completely contradicts any chance for you to sound apologetic. And while we’re on the topic, you need to apologise to Patton as well.”

“Fine,” Prince whined. They turned around, only to see Morality leaning against the counter, arms crossed and eyebrows raised. “Ah, Patton.” Roman rubbed the back of his neck and adverted his gaze. “So, I’ve come to realise that my earlier actions were a little-“

“Little?”

Roman winced. “ _Very_ harsh. You shouldn’t have been the one saying sorry when it was my fault for losing my temper. I know you probably don’t want to forgive me right away, and that’s okay. I’d be pretty pissed at myself if I were in your shoes, too.”

Patton immediately brightened, uncrossing his arms and moving in for a hug. “That’s alright, kiddo!” He ignored Roman’s grumble of “we’re the same age” in favour of continuing. “I’m glad you realised your mistake, and I’m willing to look past it. This time.”

Logan saw Prince’s surprised face and chimed in, amused. “It’s because he’s a better person than you.” Getting whacked lightly by Patton was definitely worth the comment, in his opinion. Then he saw the time. “Shit. We were supposed to be closing up half an hour ago. Roman, go shuffle the last few customers out, Patton, come help me clean up.”

“Aye, aye, captain!” Morality mock-saluted, before going off to grab the cleaning supplies. “Hey, Logic, you know how I give nicknames to everyone?” he asked whilst rummaging through the lower cupboards.

“Mmm?” Logan absently replied, already wiping down the benches.

“Well, Ann, or Anxiety, as I called him, had the brilliant idea of calling me Morality! He’s so creative, and good at baking. Like, the kid was so unsure of himself, but he really was a natural at it. I was impressed.”

“He sounds like the perfect employee,” Logic commented. He was perfectly aware that their conversation could probably be heard by Prince, but, he supposed, that was the entire point. “I wish I could’ve met him.”

“Alright!” Roman called from the other side of the bakery. “You’ve convinced me. If the kid- _Ann,_ comes back here again, I’ll not only apologise but I’ll also give him the damn job.” The last few remaining customers chuckled at the trio’s theatrics.

“You mean that?” A quiet voice piped up over the tinkling of the bell.

Roman spun around, jaw dropping. Morality popped up from where he was squatting behind the counter and even Logan paused his work to stare. There, Anxiety stood, somewhat wet from the rain outside and looking even smaller than usual.

“Ann!” Patton was the first to speak. He waved the kid over, who didn’t seem to be enjoying the sudden attention from everyone, and led him into the haven of the kitchens. “I’m so glad you came back. I talked it over with the other two and they’re willing to give you a shot!”

“Really?” Ann asked, eyes wide. Roman entered then, nodding. “Oh my god, thank you,” he breathed in disbelief. “Thank you so, so, _so_ much, I promise you won’t regret it.”

Morality watched quietly as Roman said his apologies, humble for once. Logan merely continued cleaning and Ann brightened up even more once he was officially given the job and details. Arrangements were made and a schedule was discussed until they had finally come to an agreement on who worked what days.

Patton taught Ann how to close up shop. They went through the procedures and Morality found himself admiring how hard Anxiety worked all over again, as the kid was attentive and watched everything that the others did, mimicking it when he had to.

“You know, I think I know why you call Roman ‘Prince’, now,” Ann piped up all of a sudden.

Morality looked down at him from the stool he was stood on to put away ingredients. “Why do you think that is?”

Ann hesitated. “Well, for starters, he’s a royal pain in the ass- I mean butt,” he corrected, “but also because of how well he handled those customers. He seemed to _woo_ them, even the rude ones who argued about their orders.”

“He is quite charming, isn’t it?” Patton smiled wistfully. “One might even say he’s _Prince Charming!_ ”

Anxiety’s curious look was quickly replaced with begrudging amusement. “Did you call him that _just_ so you could make that joke?!” Even though he was kidding, he did seem surprised about it.

_‘I wonder if he’s figured it out yet…’_ Morality wondered. “Jokes _are_ my speciality! Don’t worry, you’ll got used to them.” He also wondered if Ann knew that that was his way of promising to keep him around. “Oh, by the way, why _did_ you come back? Especially so late. And in the rain.”

The boy stiffened. “Uh, had to pick up some stuff for- _fuck.”_ He slapped his forehead. “I’m so stupid. Sorry for swearing, Morality, but I need to go. Before I do that, do you have any spare food that you don’t need? If not, don’t worry about paying me later this week and _please_ buy it for me! I know it’s a lot to ask, especially considering we just met, but I’ve got a brother I need to take care of and I didn’t _mean_ to stay so late-“

Patton firmly grasped Anxiety’s shoulders. “Kiddo, calm down. It’s fine. As a matter of fact, we always seem to have leftover food. Feel free to take as much you want! And you have a brother? I don’t know why, but I kind of pegged you as an only child.”

“Definitely not. My brother is one of the best things to happen to me, if I’m honest. He’s one of the sweetest boys you’ll ever meet.” Ann seemed so content, talking about his brother, that Morality didn’t want him to stop. “He’s _way_ smarter than I could ever hope to be. He’s in his second last year of high school and he’s hoping to get into a community college at the least, although, I personally think he can do much better. That may just be me projecting my hopes, considering I dropped out, so I generally don’t push him about it.”

“Oh!” Patton exclaimed. “I thought you were still at school. Not that there’s anything wrong with dropping out, I was just surprised. How old are you?”

“I turned twenty last month. My younger brother is turning seventeen this year.”

“That makes you the youngest of the lot! Prince is the next, about two months older than you. What’s his name? If you don’t mind me asking, that it!” Morality was becoming more and more interested in Ann’s family. Or, at least, the bit he was willing to share.

“His name is Missy. And before you say anything, I’m perfectly aware of how weird our names are. Missy, however, is the kind of person who accepts he’s weird and makes it a part of himself that people love...” Ann trailed off, before remembering what he came here for. “So, the food?”

“Oh, yeah.” Patton was somewhat reluctant to end the conversation, but if Ann needed to go home, then so be it. “Also, if you need a lift, don’t be afraid to ask! I know it’s raining out there, and it’ll probably be easier and safer for you to go with me or Logic, as Prince lives nearby and often just walks. Obviously, I get it if it’s weird and I could also call a taxi for you!”

“No, its fine- well, actually, it’d be nice if you could drop me off. It’s not too far away, only like a forty minute walk, so you don’t have to worry about it.” Anxiety packed as much food as he could into one of the paper bags, before scrunching up the top and following Morality out into the carpark.

“No worries.” Patton unlocked his car and got in, Ann sliding in the other side. “Seatbelt on,” he ordered, watching the other clip it up. Once that was done, he smiled. “Alright, now where do I need to go?”

Ann directed him for the next few minutes. “Here! Stop here.”

Patton pulled up outside a tiny house. The light flickered on inside and soon, the front door was opened, revealing a teenaged boy, who he assumed to be Missy.

“ _Where have you been?_ ” Ann’s brother called out, racing down the driveway to the car, which Anxiety was just getting out of. “You said only an hour, and it’s been three! It’s 11pm!”

“And you should be asleep,” Ann laughed, ruffling Missy’s hair. “It’s a school night. You also have exams tomorrow. Don’t think I don’t know this.”

Patton furrowed his eyebrows. Anxiety was acting like a parent, but surely, _surely,_ they had an actual parent to do that for them. He didn’t ask then, not wanting to ruin their happy moment, but he made a mental note to enquire about it later.

“Whatever.” Missy poked his tongue out at Ann, before suddenly realising another person was there. “Who’s this? Is he your _boyfriend?_ ”

Anxiety blushed. “Shut your teasing mouth. This is my new _co-worker,_ Patton.”

“You got the job?” Missy started practically bouncing up and down. “Hi, I’m Ann’s brother, Missy! Thank you so much!”

Morality smiled. “Your brother is a good person. He’s really good at his job. I hope he’ll stick around, despite how weird the rest of us.”

He could tell that both brothers were pleased to hear this.


	3. Logan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan could tell it won't be a good day but surprisingly, it is. If you don't count seeing Ann and Missy fight, the mysterious buyer, slaving over an oven, the other fight, having to call the authorities and oh, apparently today wasn't at all good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTENT WARNING:  
> This chapter contains transphobia, implied/reference child abuse and a tad bit of violence.

The first few weeks of having Ann in the bakery passed without a hitch, for the most part. Logan, ever cautious, had been keeping an eye on their newest employee despite this. The things one could find out from simple observations were… unsurprising; to him, at least.

For starters, there was the way Ann always came early and left late, and never once in those long hours did he cease working. The only time he _did_ was if Patton ordered him to take a break or if his brother, Missy, called and needed something. Logan was quite pleased with this, as it was nice to finally have another diligent worker amongst them. Don’t get him wrong, Roman worked his ass off to keep this bakery running, same goes for Patton, but they enjoyed goofing off far too much.

The next thing Logic noticed was how Ann did everything he could to get out of serving. That was one of the only things he could be faulted on. Although, Logan supposed, there must be a good reason for it, especially considering his nickname. Whenever Roman gave him the customer shift, Anxiety argued non-stop, insisting Patton or Logan were a better choice for it. Roman originally wouldn’t budge, so Ann, pale and shaky, admitted defeated before slinking off behind the counter. Luckily, Patton always took pity on him and Prince eventually stopped trying to get Ann to serve altogether.

And finally, there was Missy in general. The boy often stopped by, prompting Anxiety to disappear around the back to get their spare food and hand it to him. That amount of sweets constantly surely couldn’t be healthy. Not to mention all the times over the weekends where he would come in and set his homework down, and go at it for hours. Anxiety would try to help him as best as he could, which was… odd to see him filling in the role of a parent. As Missy was still in high school, they _must_ have someone besides Anxiety at home that would help with homework and the likes.

But then again, he thought, there was that time Morality had driven Ann home and came back distracted, and Logan knew him well enough to know that meant he was worried. After that, Pat was even more protective over their youngest worker. _Curiouser and curiouser._

Logan decided that as long as the brothers were okay and Ann’s work ethic wasn’t affected by this, then he shouldn’t pry into it too much. That didn’t mean he’d stop his observations though.

Sighing, he figured he’d been reading too much Sherlock Holmes recently. He needed to get ready for work now.

He reached for his glasses on the bedside table and started going about his morning routine. Logic made a coffee for both him and Patton, who had crashed next to him the night before. Roman had already left, judging from the untidy mess in Logan’s bathroom. This was the _last_ time he offered to be the designated driver and let them sleep at his place. Prince had the most luxurious apartment of the three, with a bed actually big enough for all of them. It was just _common sense._

Back to the task at hand, he re-entered his bedroom to gently wake Morality, telling him that breakfast was on the bench, before he left. He had work to do today.

While Roman would arrive at the bakery before him, it was agreed that actually opening it up would be left to Logan. It didn’t help that Prince seemed to be particularly stressed that morning, judging by the chaos throughout Logan’s apartment. This meant that someone must have placed a particularly large order. It wasn’t going to be a good day.

Pulling up in front of Baker’s Dozen, he saw Ann talking to Missy outside. Ann, usually passive, was scowling at _Missy,_ of all people. Not wanting to intrude, he waited by his car, but their shouting drifted towards him in bits and pieces.

“ _You don’t – job – we’re fine!”_

_“Parents – money – let me –“_

_“No – they’re not –“_

_“Don’t – treat – child – what they’re like!”_

_“Listen – your brother –“_

_“You can’t – me – goodbye.”_

And with that, Missy turned and stormed off. Ann remained standing there, clenching his fists. As Logan got closer, he could see the boy shaking.

“Anxiety, what happened?” he tried to keep his voice calm, but it was well known that he wasn’t… _the best_ at comforting people, and seeing someone on the verge of tears put him off his game a bit.

Ann jumped and looked up from the ground. He wiped his eyes, swallowed, then smiled. “Nothing, don’t worry about it,” he lied with a shaky voice.

Logic frowned. “Something quite clearly happened. How about we bring this inside and you can tell me about it? If something is upsetting you, then it is in the best interests of everyone to attend to this problem, otherwise it may affect your work ethic. Of course, if you don’t feel comfortable with it, I could always call Patton and leave you two to talk.” He unlocked the door and swung it open, gesturing for Anxiety to go first.

Roman poked his head out from the kitchen when he heard the two enter. “You will _not_ believe what this person expects us to make in _12 hours!_ I tried telling him that there was _no way_ we could pull it off, but he _insisted._ His child’s birthday or something. Must be pretty spoiled and, dare I say, _the richest kid alive._ ” Prince laughed a little, adjusting his apron and disappearing behind the door again.

Logan let Anxiety slink off to the kitchen, obviously avoiding their conversation. _Fair enough_. As long as he and Roman were _finally_ getting along. It had taken almost the full first week for Princey to decide that Ann was alright, and a week after that for both of them to relax around each other. Now they constantly argued. Despite Logan thinking it’d be better for them to act more professionally, he was glad Ann was comfortable around each of their group. _Just not comfortable enough to open up, apparently._

He was drawn out of his thoughts by the ringing of the bell.

“Hey, Lo!” Morality waved, as if he didn’t see him this morning. “Why is this place still so dark? I thought you would’ve opened up shop by now.”

Logan smiled, allowing Patton to kiss him on the cheek. “Well, something came up. Ann assures me that it’s fine, but I’d like you to talk to him sometime soon. He seems to trust you most out of all of us. It’s understandable, I suppose, considering you were the one to induct him into this job.”

Morality only hummed before slipping off to the kitchens, turning on the lights as he went. Logic watched him go. Once he was out of sight, Logan turned back to the door and flipped the sign to open. Time to start the day.

From there, the hours which usually whirled by in a series of orders and calculations, dragged on as he slaved in the kitchen. He’d do anything to get out of here on this particular day, with Roman shouting orders back at them as the other three tried desperately to keep up with the demands of customers and the other order placed this morning. Unfortunately for him, it just wasn’t going to happen.

Instead, he spent his time listening to Morality’s jokes and trying to get _something_ out of Ann, who had been silent ever since their earlier talk. The sullen boy somehow found more and more jobs for himself to accomplish whenever Logan tried to get close, making the logical one extremely frustrated. He knew he promised himself he wouldn’t pry as long as Ann was working fine, but the thing was, the kid was pushing himself. Sooner or later, he’d crash.

“Logan, can you come over here for a sec?” Patton called.

“Sure thi-“ Logan swivelled around, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. There was a splat as he was hit hard with an unidentifiable object and then- he could only see white. “Patton, what is this –“

“Sugar for my sugar!”

Logic, caught off guard, actually laughed. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he sighed, wiping the sugar from his face. He went over to the taps and carefully washed his glasses – if he scraped off the particles, then it could scratch the lens. “Also, don’t waste the ingredients!” Despite how hard he tried to sound scolding, it wasn’t working with that damn smile on his face.

He spotted Ann biting his lip, looking like he wanted to say something. Maybe now they’d find out what the commotion this morning was about…

“So, uh, are you two dating?”

He could hear Patton choking on the cookie he was eating behind him. _Good._

“ _’Two’_ is a bit of an understatement, but yes, Morality and I are dating.” Logan could now hear his boyfriend laughing. Maybe he should offer Pat another cookie…

Anxiety considered this. “I suppose that does explain a few things, but, if I’m honest, I thought Patton and Roman were dating. I’m not very good at noticing things... and I don’t understand why you said _two_ was an understatement- _oh.”_

 _Ah, realisation._ Logan turned back to his dedicated bench and continued working. There was so much to do and so little time, he couldn’t waste a second worrying over how Ann saw them now. A tiny part of his mind, however, was uncomfortably aware of the way Anxiety was staring at them. He could feel it, and it was putting him off.

“Ann, if you’re uncomfortable working with us now that you’ve discovered the nature of Roman, Patton and I’s relationship, feel free to leave at any moment.” Logan didn’t care that Morality would probably reprimand him for being so brash. They had spent so long hiding it from Ann and now that he’d let it slip, he’d rather take the blame than let his partners get hurt.

“No, it’s not that!” Anxiety assured hastily. “I just realised that you barely look at the recipe when cooking and a lot of the times, don’t even follow the method. How do you do that? Like, I know that for some of them you’ve baked thousands of times but I still constantly need to check the recipe because I’m always unsure on the exact amount of ingredients I need. I’m not even that forgetful, I just…”

“You may have trouble with object permanence.” Seeing the other’s blank stare, Logan happily explained. “Object permanence is basically the ability to recognise that an object – or in your case, a measurement – is still there even though you can’t see it. It’s quite a fascinating study, usually based around infants.”

“Great. So I’m a child, now,” Anxiety grumbled.

“Both you and children whine, so I can see the resemblance.”

“And I to think I thought Morality was the only one who makes ridiculously bad jokes.”

“Hey!” Patton called. “My jokes are _egg-_ cellent, thank you very much.” They didn’t have to turn around to know that he was holding an egg. “And I know they _crack_ the both of you up.”

Suddenly, Logan’s hair was full of runny egg yolk. He didn’t bother to face him to tell him off, instead choosing to sigh and speak to the wall. “Patton, _I swear to god_ , one more joke from you and I’m sending you out there and going to make you explain to Roman why you’re banned from _helping_ today- what on earth are you doing?!”

He had turned around, as Patton was being suspiciously quiet, to see Anxiety holding open one of the lower kitchen cupboards just as Morality finished climbing in.

“Well, you didn’t want me _out_ there, so I figured I’d go back to my roots.” Before Logan could ask what he meant, Patton gestured to all the pans around him.

Logic rolled his eyes. “Get out of there.”

“Alright,” Morality shrugged and climbed out. “Although you should never force people who aren’t ready out, I guess I should just say it. I’m pan, everyone!”

“Anything else you have to say?” Logan arched an eyebrow at him, ignoring the snickers from Anxiety.

“Yep! You _ace_ everything you do!” Patton walked over and pecked Logic on the cheek, before heading back to his designated work space. Ann saw Logan smiling, but didn’t mention it.

They resumed working, spirits lifted slightly and, of course, Patton acting way more affectionate now that he knew he was able to. Hours started flying by and soon, Roman appeared to tell them that the person who placed the order was arriving any minute. Logan reported that they had indeed finished baking and packing the food, which made a weary Prince smile.

He was glad – Roman worked himself far too much. All that was left was transporting it, and as the guy requested to pick it up himself, there wasn’t much for them to do. They traded stories as they closed the store, Prince telling them about some of the rowdier customers and minor scuffles.

“-and when I told them that we didn’t _have_ it on the menu, they shouted at me! I’m surprised you didn’t hear,” Roman rambled.

“That simply won’t do. I know arguing with a customer is bad for business, but that’s just bad manners. Next time, point them out to me and I’ll remind them that we don’t take that kind of behaviour.” Logan felt personally offended by the audacity of some people.

“You know,” Ann began, swinging his legs from his place on the counter, “I didn’t really see it at first but you guys have one of the best relationships I’ve ever witnessed.”

Logan paused in his wiping down of the tables to gauge Roman’s reaction. He had forgotten about his earlier slip-up and knowing his boyfriend’s defensive nature, he was somewhat worried that he’d take it the wrong way.

Instead, he laughed fondly. “Yeah, I agree.” Then, there was a knock at the bakery door. Roman pushed himself off the wall he was leaning against. “That must be our buyer!”

Logan watched as he straightened his outfit and brushed off imaginary dust. _Perfectionist._ Ann was too busy chatting with Morality to pay attention.

“Good afternoon, sir! We have your order all prepared, all we need is the payment to go through.”

Roman let the stranger into the bakery, stepping aside. Ann looked up and froze, but the man smiled upon seeing him.

Logic glanced between the two of them. What was going on, exactly?

“Ah, it seems you know our newest employee, Ann,” Prince began awkwardly.

“That I do, although if I remember correctly, that is not my son’s name,” the guy chuckled.

Ann bristled. “Since when did you know anything about me?” he snarled, stunning the other three workers into silence. “What the _fuck_ are you doing here?! And, _if I remember correctly,_ you don’t even have enough money to pay for this.” By now, he had hopped off the surface and was facing his… father?

Regardless, it was quite clear that their usually timid employee was pissed.

Anxiety’s relative seemed nervous. “C’mon, uh, _Ann.”_ The distaste in his voice when he said that made all of them bristle. “Don’t be like that! Besides, I got this for Missy! I know I haven’t been the best father to her-“

“ _Shut up,”_ Ann snarled. “Don’t you _dare_ say another word about my _brother._ You are the worst thing to ever happen to us. He deserved a lot better than the childhood he got, and you are _not_ re-entering his life. I won’t let you.”

“Well, it’s not like you have any choice. Your mother and I may have let you steal our child away from us, but _he_ is still legally ours!” All warmth had disappeared from both of them.

“ _We are not your property!”_ Anxiety shrieked. “You lost your right to call him your son the minute you thought it was okay to treat him the way you did.”

“We raised you the same way we raised _him_ and you never complained. What’s so different about Missy? Just because your special snowflake of a sister-“

 _“Leave._ When my brother told me you had contacted him, I thought he was kidding. But you know what you wanting to come back into our lives did? He thought it was his responsibility to take up more jobs because he knows you’re _incapable_ of wanting anything to do with us if you’re not getting something out of it. Now pay these people for slaving over an oven all day.”

Suddenly, the man (Logan refused to think of this beast as Ann’s _father_ ) settled down and appeared to be rather sheepish. “Actually, I was hoping you’d pay for it. You know, as a birthday gift for your brother. From both of us – and your mother. We wanted to get him something, but we’re a bit tight on money at the moment. Speaking of, would you mind lending us a few hundred bucks to help your old man? You see, I kind of made this big bet and it backfired on me, but I assured your mother you would help us, like you usually do. You wouldn’t want to let her down, now, would you?”

Ann snapped – and punched him in the nose.

The man roared and took a swing, but before it could connect, Roman stepped in, twisting his arms behind his back.

“I think that’s enough for tonight.” His voice was low and dangerous, and he didn’t seem to care that the guy was hissing in pain. “Logan, if you could please help me file a report? This barbarian tried to assault my employee _and_ is unable to pay us what he owes. Such a shame he accidentally ran into a wall and broke his nose, isn’t it? Morality, help dear Ann while we sort this out.”

“You got it,” Logan murmured, already pulling out his phone. “And Ann, you can take the food home, free of charge.”

“You’ve earned it,” Patton chirped, placing a protective hand on Anxiety’s back as he led him into the kitchens. He couldn’t see them, but Logan could hear Morality making sure Ann was okay and attempting to distract him as he wrapped up his hand. Anxiety must have given the damn bastard what he deserved if his hand needed attending to.

As Logan was reporting the incident, he couldn’t help but wonder what they were _all_ going to do about this. He knew Patton and most likely Roman were going to be extra-protective, but there was the cold feeling in knowing that _sweet, sweet Ann_ had to face so many hardships so early on in life. Logic knew that he had only begun to scratch the surface in understanding him, and he hoped dearly that nothing else had, is or would harm Ann. He didn’t think he could keep his calm if he found out to what extent Anxiety had suffered – hell, he almost lost it today.

At least they could begin to stitch up the seams.


	4. Roman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If Roman knows anything, it's that he most definitely isn't flirting with Ann. Oh, and also that his boyfriends are massive hypocrites.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTENT WARNING:  
> This chapter contains implied/reference child abuse and mentions of past homophobia.

Roman gazed at Ann as the blue and red flashing lights illuminated the inside of the quiet, shocked bakery. His newest employee was staring blankly into a cup of coffee that Patton had made him, while he and Logan talked to the police. Quickly, but certainly not quick enough, the offender had been removed from the shop in handcuffs. _Thank god,_ Roman thought bitterly.

Once he waved goodbye to the cops, his thoughts trailed back to Ann as he tried to come up with a way to comfort him. His mouth moved before he could think. “Hey, Gerard-wannabe!” Surprisingly, Ann blinked and raised his head. His trance had finally ended, it seemed. Roman cursed internally, he didn’t think he’d get this far and now he had to come up with something to say. Logan came up behind him and discreetly pressed something into his hands.

“I’ll let you get your flirt on, just this once,” his boyfriend whispered, and Roman could hear the smile in his voice. Prince looked down. Logic had handed him four movie tickets. “I was going to ask you all at once later, but I figured you could do the honours.”

Roman nodded. On the inside, he was thanking Logan furiously, but now he had to ask the waiting Ann. “I was just wondering if you’d like to come to the movies with the rest of us on, uh,” he checked the tickets, “Sunday. It’s the new Wonder Woman movie, by the way.”

Anxiety’s eyes focussed at the familiar title. It took a while (and Roman repeating himself) before he understood. “I guess,” he mumbled into the china of the cup. “It has to be after three though, because Missy has a game on and- _shit.”_ He bolted upright and consequently dropped his mug. Coffee and white shards spread across the porcelain floors. “Crap, I’m so sorry,” Ann gasped. “Let me just-“

He knelt down and started to pick the larger pieces up with shaking fingers. Roman shot him a pitiful glance and knelt down in front of him, gently stilling Anxiety’s hands with his own. He looked into his watery brown eyes and smiled so he knew that he wasn’t mad. “Don’t worry so much, Ann. I’ll help you clean this up, okay? While we’re doing that, you can tell me about Missy.”

“I- I’m supposed to be home, he’s probably scared,” Ann mumbled. Logan came over, holding Ann’s phone and giving it to him without a word.

“See? Call him, tell him that something came up and that you’ll be home soon. Here, up we get.” Roman heaved himself up, and then extended his hand to Anxiety, who gladly accepted. Prince led him into the kitchen, past Patton who gave him a cheesy thumbs up and an exaggerated wink, drawing a chuckle from the weary Roman.

“What’s so funny?” Ann asked suspiciously.

“Oh, nothing. I just think that certain boyfriends of mine are idiots.”

The pair could hear matching objections from somewhere behind them, but they didn’t care at the moment. Ann grabbed a broom while Prince wet a cloth to clean up the coffee and the smaller shards. “So, does Missy play football or something?”

“Yeah,” Ann smiled, before pulling a face. “Although it does worry me sometimes. Well… you’ve probably guessed, but we can’t afford something like top surgery.” Ann paused and gauged Roman’s reaction. He made sure that his face remained indifferent as to not accidentally offend Anxiety. Plus, he was generally interested and didn’t want to discourage him by appearing rude. “Anyway, he wears a binder usually, but even that can affect his breathing. He assures me its fine, and I probably worry too much about him… It can be damaging to him if he spends too much time doing sport. He’s really good though – with him, his team has most of their games so far this season! He’s got really got friends now, especially one person who he talks about all the time. I reckon he has a crush on them, but he assures me he doesn’t.”

Roman found himself enjoying just listening to Ann talk, despite usually loving talking more himself. It was calming for the both of them. And it helped an idea form. He wasn’t sure how it would work (he’d need to consult Logic for that), but it wasn’t like he didn’t have the money for it… That was something to think about another day. Right now, all he needed to think about was the adorable guy in front of him.

He didn’t even register Patton and Logan’s presence in the kitchens until they spoke up. As Morality slipped an arm around his waist, Logic asked Ann if he was coming to the movies.

“You’re staring. Does someone have a _crush?_ ” There was a slight, annoying sing-song tone to what Morality was suggesting. Prince shushed him, much to Logan’s amusement and Anxiety’s confusion.

“…Anyway, I’m probably coming. Thank you for getting me the ticket by the way, I’ll pay you back soon-“ Ann was cut off by Roman.

“Do you not know the meaning of a gift, Mother Gothel? You can pay us back by showing up. And, of course, if you want me to pick you up, just ask.” Roman grinned, leaning in subconsciously.

Logan scoffed behind him, and he could hear them quietly teasing him. _He was not being flirty, damn it. They didn’t know what they were talking about._ For some unrelated reason, seeing Ann’s cheeks fill with red made him feel accomplished.

“I mean – if it’s not too much of a hassle, then I’d like that,” Ann mumbled uncertainly. His eyes darted everywhere but Prince’s smug face as he fought (a losing battle) against his blush.

Roman decided to give the guy a break and took a step back. “Brilliant!” he exclaimed. “Then it’s settled. Since it’s dark out there, I’ll give you a lift home, and learn the directions at the same time! If you don’t mind.”

“I don’t.”

He saw Patton hook his arm around Ann’s and cheerfully drag him towards Roman’s sport car, undoubtedly so he could ‘subtly’ grill him on how he feels about the rest of them. Prince rolled his eyes – his boyfriend was far too much of a meddler.

Drifting out of his thoughts, he was suddenly aware of Logan leaning against a counter in front of him, eyebrows raised.

“What?”

“Oh, nothing.” Logic adjusted his glasses and tie, biting back a smile.

Roman huffed. “I know what you’re thinking and I was _not_ flirting! Just being friendly!” He proclaimed, even though he knew himself that he was lying. “Besides, it’s not like you can act all high and mighty, Mr. I-Brought-A-Movie-Ticket-For-Ann-And-Wanted-To-Know-Right-Away-If-He-Agreed-To-Come!”

“That’s an awfully long last name I have,” Logan commented, not looking like he regretted it even when Roman glared.

“Whatever. If you don’t mind me, I have a pretty boy to drive home.” Prince winked, making Logan laugh.

“Yeah, I’m _sure_ that you’ll get _real_ far with Ann in the few minutes it takes to drop him off.”

Hearing his boyfriend’s sarcasm, Roman mock-gasped. “How dare you? I could totally woo Ann!” Logan rolled his eyes, but his reply was muffled by a quick kiss. “I’ll see you at my place tonight?” He called over his shoulder. As Logic nodded, he happily made his way out of the bakery and was met with a smirking Patton halfway across the carpark.

“Why are you so cheery?” Patton asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Why does everyone look at me like that?” Roman groaned. “I was just talking to Logan – _yes just talking, oh my god._ I’m a professional! I don’t make-out with people at work, unlike someone I know. Also, thank you for helping with Ann tonight. I don’t know if I could’ve managed that on my own.”

Morality’s gaze softened. “No problem.” He cupped Roman’s face and kissed him, lingering a little longer than usual. “I love you,” he whispered when they pulled apart, and even if Roman didn’t say it back, he knew it was true for the both of them.

Prince squeezed him quickly, before hurrying off to a waiting Anxiety and slipping into his car, trying to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. His loves were just _too_ cute…

“Earth to Space Cadet Roman!”

Roman blinked back into reality to see Ann snapping his fingers in front of his face. “Oh, sorry, I was a little distracted.”

“I could tell,” Anxiety said drily.

“Shut up,” he mumbled, starting up the car. “So, where do you live?”

Thirty minutes later, he arrived home. Roman called out Patton and Logan’s names, but when he received no reply, he searched for them himself. They weren’t in his bedroom, like he expected them to be, but instead, they were sharing the couch. He was puzzled for a while until he saw Logan’s work laid out in front of them.

He was probably forcing himself to stay up and do his mathematical, technical, boring stuff, but then Patton decided he needed a break. Prince smiled to himself, debating whether or not to wake them up. They looked so cute, all bundled up like that. In the end, he resolved to take a picture and attempt to carry them to bed one by one.

First, he scooped up Patton as gently as he could. Then after he finished the trip, he headed back. He removed the pen in Logan’s slack hand and hoisted him up bridal style too. He nudged open the door with his foot and saw Morality sitting up, slightly confused and too sleepy to be coherent.

“Ro – hug,” was all he got out before he drifted off again. Prince set Logic down next to him and curled up between the too, slinging an arm over both. They leaned into his touch, and he fell asleep content.

-

“Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey!” Patton’s voice rung through the apartment and with it came the glorious smell of bacon. It had been three days since that eventful night in the bakery and they could almost forget it entirely.

Roman groaned and pressed closer to the one source of warmth he could find. He could feel the vibrations of Logan’s silent amusement.

“Good morning, Princey,” he whispered in his ear.

“ _Not a good morning,_ ” Roman hissed in return. “It’s an absolutely cruddy morning. I’m going back to bed and _never_ waking up!”

“It’s Sunday today. Which means…” Logan trailed off.

“What? We don’t go to church, unless I’m in an alternate universe, so – _oh my god, the movie!”_ Roman shot up so fast he almost banged his head into Logan’s chin. “Shit, what time is it?” Not waiting for a reply, he stumbled out of bed and only avoided falling by Logan catching his arm. His boyfriend twirled him around to give him a kiss before sending him on his way.

Roman paused, hand on his walk-in-closet door, remembering something. “Hey, Logan?”

“Mmm?”

“How much – hypothetically – would top surgery cost?”

-

Prince waved goodbye to his boyfriends and hopped into his car, trying to visualise the route to Ann’s in his mind. The bakery was shut for the day, so they could do whatever they want. Logan was driving Patton and himself to the cinemas, promising to meet Roman and Ann there.

He pulled up at the tiny house to see Ann and Missy waiting outside. Anxiety was hugging his brother, who was holding some kind of trophy. Roman, not wanting to interrupt, simply got out of his car and stood by it. The brothers broke apart and Missy said something to Ann, pointing at Prince and making the guy blush.

_“Shut up!”_ He hissed, before turning to Prince and smiling awkwardly. “So, uh, Princey, Missy wants to go the shops. He has a date,” Missy elbowed him in the ribs, “I mean, _outing with a friend who he definitely doesn’t have a crush on._ Hey, that hurt!” Ann’s brother had whacked him in the arm. “Anyway, could you drop him off there on the way? I promise it won’t take too long!”

“Relax,” Roman chuckled. “Of course I can. I drove here early because… Ann, could I speak to you in private for a second?”

“Yep, don’t mind me, I’ll go back inside.” Missy wriggled his eyebrows, making Ann attempt to whack him this time. However, Missy was too fast, and was inside before they knew it.

“What’s this about, Roman? You look kind of serious…” Ann paused, a million scenarios running through his head. “I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?”

Prince shook his head. “This isn’t really about you, don’t worry. Um, so you mentioned a couple of days ago that your brother wants top surgery but you can’t afford it, and I know that football season is over, and…” He shrugged, suddenly bashful. “Look, I have the money. It won’t give me any troubles, despite how expensive it is. If you want…”

“No!” Ann burst out, shocking them both at the volume. “I appreciate the offer, but I can’t accept that much. We’ve had problems with stuff like this before, and it always comes back to bite us. I’m sorry, Princey.”

“Seriously, Ann, it’s okay. You can trust me. I told Logan about it and he couldn’t exactly see anything wrong with me giving you this. It was Missy’s birthday a couple of days ago, right? Think of it as a gift from me to your brother. C’mon, Anxiety.” Roman looked him in the eyes. “I swear that I will not hold this over your head. No matter what.”

Sighing, Ann gave in. “I’m going to have to talk this over with Missy, but if you’re sure, then alright. My brother deserves this, I guess. You can tell him about it on the way. Thank you so much, Roman. I honestly am so grateful.” Ann grinned, then called his Missy out of the house. “Let’s go, baby bro!”

“I’m only a few years younger than you,” the athlete grumbled, but smiled nonetheless.

“Exactly, you’re practically a baby.”

Prince allowed himself to unwind as he listened to the siblings bicker. That went a lot better than he had expected. He was happy that he could do something like that, as both of them were too darn sweet and, in his opinion, deserved everything good from this point onwards.

-

Logan raised his eyebrows when Roman and Ann walked out of the car giggling. Anxiety seemed to finally realise that he was completely serious in his offer, and now he couldn’t stop gushing his thanks.

“It’s no problem!” Roman claimed for the fiftieth time. “Let’s just go and enjoy a movie, alright?” He headed over to where his partners were not-so-quietly speculating about what happened. “I’ll tell you about it later,” he mumbled, before brightly leading them over to the snack counter.

Soon, they were all in a row of chairs as the ads played on the big screen. Ann was in the middle of Roman (on his left) and Logan (on his right), with Patton next to Logan.

“Hey, Princey?” he murmured as quietly as he could, reaching for his popcorn.

“Yeah?”

“No offensive, but if you’re so rich, why are you working at a _bakery?_ Couldn’t you get like a super profitable job as CEO of something or other and then just slack off all day every day?”

“I guess. But I love working at Baker’s Dozen. Mostly because I met both Patton and Logan at a bakery, and ever since, I’ve wanted to create a space like that where people meet up and stories unfold. It’s a cool thing to think about – that what we made could do that. Did I ever tell you how we met?”

“No, this is the first time I’m hearing it.”

Roman could see Logan smiling as he pretended not to listen and Ann angling towards him, invested in the tale. “Well, it started off with a certain someone tripping on their shoelaces and spilling their coffee on me.” Ann didn’t have to figure out who, as Logan immediately protested, saying that the floors were slippery and it was all Roman’s fault for bumping into him in the first place. “Sure it was, Lo. Anyway, I was actually rushing to an audition I was late for, and since my outfit was completely ruined, I was kind of upset.”

“He’s lying,” Patton cut in. “As soon as he saw Logan, he lost his train of thought and started flirting instead. You know what he’s like – he simply can’t help it. Of course, Logan hadn’t had that much intense human interaction before, so he was at lost for what to do.”

“I was not!” Logic cried, earning himself a couple of shushes from the surrounding audience.

Prince chuckled. “Yeah, right. You were so red that I thought you had some kind of disease! Then when I asked you for your phone number, you basically threw your phone at me so I could put it in!”

Morality continued the story. “The next few weeks were unbearable for me. I was friends with Logan beforehand and might have had a _teensy_ crush on him-“

“And I’m the liar,” Logan grumbled. Roman found it cute how flustered he was right now.

“- and listening to my best friend gush about some other guy nonstop _sucked._ I was planning to tell him that I liked him, but I figured that since Roman made him happy, I might as well just give up on that and support them both. Logic invited me to meet his Prince Charming at the place they met after a while, and we hit it off straight away.”

“Okay, we all need to stop lying,” Roman grinned. “Patton alternated between grilling me and sulking in the corner for most of it. I managed to glean a smile from him once I made a joke, but it was hard work! He finally let himself be the regular Morality we all know and love around me when he realised that I wasn’t going to steal Logan away from him. Then Logan actually started dating Patton, which took me by surprise, and I backed off a little until I saw that we didn’t act any different around each other. I was introduced to the relationship. Things worked out and now… here we are.”

He couldn’t help but to notice his boyfriends’ wistful smiles. “Anyway, to answer your other question, theoretically I _could_ quit and slack off, except I don’t know what I would do with my time without the bakery. Sure, I was and have always been the rich kid with rich parents, but when they found out that I was gay, they withdrew from me. They didn’t cut me off entirely, however I found out that I was no longer assured a spot at their company when I graduated high school, so I had to start working. I’ve been pretty lucky, compared to most people.”

Ann nodded sadly. “That still sucks though. No one should have parents that don’t support them. Trust me, I have pretty shitty ones. I don’t really know what I am, but long story short, they caught me kissing a guy once and… it was bad. I had to break up with him. To this day, I bet they still think I’m gay, which is like the only thing they hate about me that I’m actually not!”

Roman frowned at how unbothered and self-deprecating Ann seemed. He had met the man who raised him very briefly, and in that time it was fairly easy to tell that Ann’s parents were horrible people.  He only had a vague idea of _how_ bad they were and even that angered him. Anxiety was right – no one deserved to be raised like that. Instead of pushing, he slung a protective arm over the other’s shoulders, not saying a word when Patton and Logan tried to get his attention, probably so they could tease him again. Ann was part of their group now, and he was going to protect him. No matter what.


End file.
